


Medical School isn't Free (na splash kasaneta)

by tennants_and_titans



Category: Free!
Genre: Alternate Universe - Hospital, Alternate Universe - Medical, Angst, Feels, Fluff, M/M, Medical Jargon, Medical Science, Other, Pediatrics, REIdiology, be prepared i have ideas that will ruin you just as much as the anime did, makoharu - Freeform, or should i say, otherwise lighthearted, radiology, reigisa - Freeform, stop me, trauma medicine, tw: graphic descriptions of injuries
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-08-01
Updated: 2016-08-16
Packaged: 2018-07-28 14:05:56
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 6,314
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7643647
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tennants_and_titans/pseuds/tennants_and_titans
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>After all going to university together, Rin splits off from his fellow students Makoto, Haru, and Nagisa to study medicine in Australia. Because Nagisa is a year younger, Haru and Makoto begin their residencies (in emergency medicine and pediatrics, respectively) a year before him. When Nagisa joins his friends in Iwatobi General Hospital in the general medicine department, they reunite with an old friend, and old rivalries are provoked. Can the crew sort out their issues while still remaining professional?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Prologue: The race

**Author's Note:**

> As someone v interested in the medical profession, I went scouting for medical AU fics surrounding my favorite animes. Unfortunately I found a surprising lack and the ones I did find weren’t quite what I was looking for, so I decided to write one myself. I decided to start with free because I need something to hold myself over until the starting days subs come out. So here’s this. It's based loosely around the plot of the show. I tried to get the major themes in there but there will be a lot of straying from canon. There will be some fluff, not gonna lie, and a lot of cute MakoHaru and Reigisa and eventually SouRin scenes. This is SMUT FREE. At least until I actually lose my virginity so I can write about it without feeling like an awkward uneducated twat. Wow this got awfully personal. Lets get to the story.

“I don't see the point in timing this” 

“I don't see the point in not?” 

Makoto stood perpendicular to the lab table, on which sat two suture kits and two bananas sliced right down the middle. Parallel to them sat Haru and Rin, on two lab stools nearly half their height. Each of the boys were armed with a pair of cornflower blue latex gloves that squealed every time one of them so much as made a fist.

“I always like to take my time when I suture. In most cases, I feel like it's not about getting it done fast but getting it done right.” 

Makoto realized he should have known better than to try and be the voice of reason. 

“I've been practicing. I'm definitely faster than Haru now.” 

Haru shrugged his shoulders 

“I just like how it feels” 

Makoto knew voicing his opinion would have no effect on the boys’ actions. He pulled his phone from his pockets and opened the timer app. 

“All right. Simple interrupted sutures, running the whole span of the incision. Whoever finishes first, wins. If you finish around the same time, I’ll call one of our senseis and ask them to judge the quality” 

Makoto steadied his hand on the timer 

“On your mark, get set, suture.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I will be updating! I'll post chapter one when I wake up tomorrow, and after that I'll try at least once a week! But don't rush me! I don't work well with deadlines, so it'll come out faster if you leave me alone. I do have a bunch already written but I like to keep people waiting.


	2. Our Boys Today

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Makoto Tachibana and Haruka Nanase begin their first day work at Iwatobi General hospital as second year residence. The boys are joined by first year doctor Nagisa Hazuki, an old friend from university, and the three boys reconnect.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As a little birthday present to Nagisa I introduce him in the chapter. But it's mostly subtle MakoHaru slice of life fluff.

Haru didn't feel the need to be out of bed more than a few minutes before he was due to go to work. He usually slept in his scrubs and felt no need to change. Patients he saw were usually too preoccupied to comment on his scraggly appearance. 

Makoto on the other hand, was up at the crack of dawn every day. This was quite the nuisance for Haru. Though the two men were roommates, they felt no need to comply to the other’s sleep schedule.

Haru woke up his first Monday morning as a second year earlier than usual. Perhaps it was his nerves that forced him out of bed. No longer being watched over like the shrimpy first year he had been prior forged a pit in his stomach. Or perhaps it was the smell of something burning in the kitchen. Haru slid out from under the covers and slinked towards the kitchen.

As he got closer, the burning smell became thicker. He scrunched up his nose just in time to be caught by Makoto, who was preparing breakfast on the griddle. 

“Morning!” he said cheerfully. Makoto was already neatly dressed in a collared top and khakis. His tie of choice today was baby blue, spotted with small yellow ducks in bow ties. 

“What's that?” Haru questioned him. 

Assuming he was referring to his culinary masterpiece, Makoto plucked a crisp filet from the stove and plopped it on a plate in front of Haru.

“Grilled mackerel. Your favorite. I thought I'd do something special to celebrate our first day off the bottom of the food chain” 

Haru poked it, wedging his middle and pointer fingers into the crust, almost as if he was palpating it for internal injuries. 

“I know it's not exactly how you make it, but I did my best” 

Haru removed his fingers and pressed his tongue up against them. 

“It's fine.” 

He sat down and the breakfast bar as Makoto placed a pair of plastic chopsticks in front of him. 

“Are you not having any?” Haru inquired as he began to prod further at his food.

Makoto shook his head. 

“Dr. Kusawara brings the department muffins and cream bread every Monday. I’m saving room.” 

Haru always had a hunch Makoto would end up in pediatrics. He had a way with kids and their parents that he couldn't deny he was slightly jealous of. Haru’s cold exterior was better for trauma patients that couldn't talk to him. His essence seemed to make every kid with a broken arm burst into a fountain of tears.

Makoto pulled the griddle off the stove and placed it in the sink. 

“You're up early today.” He exclaimed as he approached the breakfast bar. “Nervous for the ever growing responsibilities of second year residents?” 

Haru shrugged. He didn't think what he was feeling was nerves. In fact, he had to say he was a bit excited. He had missed the adrenaline spikes he got from pumping the life back into a patient in the trauma bay. But Makoto already knew that. He could read Haru like a book. There wasn't any point in reading to him. 

“You burnt the mackerel. It smelled.” He blatantly stated, shoving the rest of his filet into his mouth in one bite. 

Makoto rolled his eyes. 

“Get up and make it yourself next time then.” 

He reached over the counter and grabbed a banana from the fruit basket.

“I want to get to work early today. How long do you think you'll be?” 

Makoto began to walk backwards towards the door. All of a sudden, a crunch resonate throughout the boys’ tiny apartment. Makoto stopped dead in his tracks. Lifting his foot towards his torso, he realized he had just pounced on haru’s penlight. 

“Haru you have to be more careful with your equipment.” He stated disapprovingly as he knelt down and plucked pieces of green plastic and high strength disc batteries off the hardwood floors. 

“One of these days, it's going to be something more expensive, like your stethoscope.” 

Ever since Haru had been on his own Makoto always proved to be quite the mom friend. 

“Yeah, yeah.” He said, acknowledging Makoto to keep him quiet. 

“I'll be ready in a minute”  
He launched himself off his stool and walked out of the kitchen as Makoto looked on. 

***

As Haru and Makoto approached the front entrance of Iwatobi General hospital, they could hear ambulance sirens resonating throughout the packed parking lot. The sirens annoyed Makoto, but they gave Haru a warm feeling. What would he be dealing with today? Severed appendages? Crushed bones? He always enjoyed the euphoria of not knowing what could await him behind the sliding double doors. Makoto inhaled and looked his best friend directly in the eye.

“Ready?” he asked, his eyes sparkling with excitement and a glimpse of terror. 

Before Haru could even open his mouth to respond, he felt a meager hand grope his shoulder.

“HEY GUYS!”

The squeaky, familiar voice was unmistakeable. It had been quite a while, Haru and Makoto both had nearly forgotten what it sounded like. 

Makoto turned around and flashed his characteristically bright and friendly smile.

“Morning Nagisa!” he exclaimed.

The boys hadn’t seen Nagisa Hazuki since medical school, when they all had worked on a case study together. 

“It’s Dr. Hazuki now!” 

Nagisa bounced up and down like a hyper two year old. Makoto had dealt with plenty of those in the last year. 

“I didn’t know you were doing your residency here.” Haru said matter-of-factly.

“Well, it’s near home…”

“You came here for the cream bread from the place on the corner didn’t you.” Makoto interrupted. It had been a while, but Makoto had a feeling Nagisa hadn’t changed much. Perhaps he’d be joining him in pediatrics? It seemed a good fit for his bright personality. 

“Yeah… and you guys!!” Nagisa exclaimed, quickly trying to cover up his obsession with sweets.”The gen med department was happy to have me, so I thought, why not?” 

Makoto tried not to show his disappointment. He wasn’t really too friendly with the other peds residents. It wasn’t that he didn’t like them… it was just… none of them liked Haru. And Makoto stuck to Haru like superglue. 

“I'm gonna head in,” announced Nagisa “I trust I’ll see you guys at lunch?” 

Makoto scratched the back of his head and nodded simultaneously. 

“Yeah! We usually eat in the courtyard.” 

“Awesome! See you there!” Nagisa exclaimed as he walked off with a spring in his step. 

Makoto and Haru watched the young doctor float away with a carefree grin on his face. 

“He had no idea what he’s in for, does he?” Makoto asked slyly, giving Haru a jab in the side. 

Haru smiled slightly, almost smirking. 

“I remember when we were like that”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next Chapter will chronicle Nagisa's first day! I'll get it up at least by next week/


	3. REIdiology

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nagisa is finally exposed to the blemishes in world of medicine as he meets his seniors, and his colleagues.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I got excited and decided to post this today sue me. Don't get used to chapters coming out this fast. Also there's a bit of vulgar language in this chapter. One of the original characters I introduce loves to curse.

Nagisa couldn’t remember the last time he felt this nervous. Maybe it was that time the university supermarket stopped stocking the cream bread he liked, or when he nearly failed his boards. The latter seemed more reasonable, but damn, those were some delicious cream breads. Despite his bubbly exterior, Nagisa had a feeling of dread in his stomach. Despite the fact that he signed up to have someone else’s life in his hands, he somehow didn’t expect that it would actually happen. He was always a mediocre student, falling towards the bottom of his class ranks in medical. Truthfully, the Iwatobi general medicine program was sub par. It was one of the few that accepted him. 

Orientation for the new residents was held in the conference room on the 5th floor of the hospital. Lab tables were squished together to form rows, with two or three chairs behind each unit. A tall lanky man was hunched against white board in the front, drumming an orange expo marker against his him. Nagisa scanned the board as he entered the hall. 

“Welcome new Residents!  
Chief of Medicine: Dr. Rokuro Akimoto”

“Rokuro?” thought Nagisa to himself. The doctor’s first name was typically used in ancient Japanese times, back when people used to propagate a lot more, to refer to the youngest of six sons. Five siblings was quite a bit to deal with. He had nearly blown his top dealing with three. 

As usual, he wasn’t the first one there. The room was already bustling with other newbies like himself. Despite the fact that he wanted to find an empty seat, he knew it wasn’t going to be easy. Nonetheless, he found a spot in the front corner. His view of the board was slightly warped, but it was good enough. He popped his legs up on the seat next to him, where he hoped someone would sit. He was eager to make friends, but he wanted to have some say in who with.

Only minutes later, he felt a tap on his shoulder. He crooked his neck to see yet another, tall, lanky man standing behind him. What was it with tall guys at this hospital? He had hoped there would be a bit more variety here, as he’d always been the shorty at medical school. 

“May I sit here?” the man asked.

Nagisa studied his face. His eyes were a deep blue, almost purple, lined with red, rectangle framed glasses. His hair matched his eyes, blue as an ocean. That couldn’t have been his natural color. Nagisa assumed he must have made some rash decisions as a kid and ended up just sticking with them. He carried himself like a nerdy 15 year old whose underpants were pulled up far too high. Despite his somewhat awkward aura, there was something about him that Nagisa rather enjoyed. Maybe he viewed him as a challenge?

“Of Course!” Nagisa said with enthusiasm. 

The man plopped down as Nagisa stuck out his hand.

“Nagisa Hazuki. General Med. Good to meet you!”

The man slapped Nagisa’s outstretched hand. He didn’t seem to know what a handshake was. And if he thought that was a high five, well, he had a lot to learn on that front.

“Rei Ryugazaki. Radiology”

Nagisa chucked to himself. 

“All right! Can I call you Reidiology?”

Rei frowned.

“No.” he stated blatantly. But those two letters never stopped Nagisa before. 

The radiology department at Iwatobi was prestigious as hell. Reidiology must have had some balls to apply here, and to get in, well, that was a whole other story. 

Dr. Akimoto pounded his fists on the board, on odd but somewhat effective way of displaying to the new students he was talking. The crowd fell immediately silent.

“All right!” he began.

“Morning newbies! My name is Dr. Akimoto, and I will be watching your every move from this day forward”

Nagisa already liked this guy. His introduction had a sort of bounce he was attracted to. 

“Today marks your first day in the ridiculous world of medicine. Some of you will be literally inside other people for the first time. Some of you will sit in a dark room for 5 hours straight for the first time. Some of you will see vaginas for the first time.”

The class seemed shocked.

“Yes boys, I am suggesting that some of you are likely still virgins.” 

Dr. Akimoto waited for a reaction, but nothing happened. Tough crowd.

“Or gay…” 

Still nothing.

“Anywho, today is all about getting to know your departments. When we split up in a few minutes, you’ll be assigned to a senior resident in your department. They will give you a brief tour of the unit and lay out some guidelines for you to follow while you’re here. As your boss/supreme leader, I think it’s also important for you to hear my guidelines.”

He stepped towards the rows of tables.

“Number one. Don’t fuck up. If you do, own it. Nobody likes a wuss who tries to weasel their way out of sticky situations.”

A few sly chuckles resonated throughout the classroom. Nagisa looked to his left and noticed Reidiology writing down Akimoto’s statements word for word. What a strange being he was.

“Number two. If you get sued, find a lawyer. Don’t try to handle that shit on your own, it never goes well and we have a reputation to uphold.”

Nagisa immediately assumed Akimoto’s frequent use of vulgar language was a defining trait of his teaching style. 

“And lastly, keep your personal crap out of my hospital. This is not “bring your feelings to work” day. And guess what, it never is. I would not recommend involving yourselves in relationships with your colleagues. If you’re really that thirsty, just find yourself a fuck buddy in another department and have meaningless sex in the on call room every day.”

The room broke down into a fit of laughter.

“You laugh now but I can guarantee each and every one of you will have a naughty night at least once.” 

Rei was still taking notes. 

“That’s about it. Otherwise, do whatever the hell you want as long as it’s not illegal. Your supervisors are waiting for you at your department’s front desk.”

A hand went up in the back of the classroom. 

“What?” 

“How do we know where to go?” asked a shrill voice from the back of the room.

“You all can read, you’ll figure it out.” 

Dr. Akimoto dropped his orange marker on the ground as if it was a microphone. 

“Now get out of my face” 

The crowd of residents immediately started bustling through the conference room’s double doors. Nagisa new he had to get out quickly, or he’d be trampled in the midst of all the chaos and confusion. He turned to his left to say a few words to Rei, maybe arrange a meet up during a break but he had already left. 

***  
“Ganbe!”

“Present!”

“Hashimoto!”

“Here!”

“Hazuki!”

There was no answer.

“Hazuki Nagisa?” 

Still nothing. 

The general medicine inpatient ward rumbled with the murmurs of the various staff on the unit. It was distracting, but not loud enough to overpower the voice of Dr. Asuka Kishino. Short as she was, her voice compensated for that lack of height through its capability to overtake any surrounding disruptions. So there was absolutely no way this Dr. Hazuki was present. Otherwise he would surely hear her calls.

All of a sudden, the unit doors flew open. A short man with a childlike stature and ridiculous blonde curls burst through the doors. He panted and wretched all the way to the circle of students around Kishino. 

“Did I miss anything?” Nagisa asked breathlessly?

“Mr. Hazuki I presume.” Dr. Kishino said with a frown. Nagisa nodded. 

“Dr. Hazuki, yeah”

“Late on the first day? I’m not calling you doctor until you get your rear in gear.”

Nagisa did his best not to chuckle at the phrase. He was already off to a wonderful start. 

Dr. Kishino resumed taking attendance, blurting out the surname of every student. If Nagisa wasn’t so preoccupied with the bustling halls of the unit, he would have heard something familiar amidst all the names of the strangers around him. 

When she finished attendance, Dr. Kishino clutched her clipboard to her chest and began to lecture the new faces. 

“Welcome to the Internal Medicine Inpatient ward. Over the next several weeks, you will deal with patients ailing with everything from STDs to Cancer. Some will be here for a day or two, some for the rest of their lives. The purpose of this ward is to accommodate the needs of patients with a wide variety of issues non-specific to any other specialty. Expect to work with a few fellows on each case that have knowledge in some more specific areas. After you complete this rotation, you will go off into the hell that is subspecialties. Oncology, Cardio, ID, these are all thing you will experience during your time as a resident. You all are lucky enough to start with this introductory program that gives you some idea of where you want to proceed. White coats and badges are in the on call room. Your patient and senior resident assignments are on the board in this floor’s conference room. You are all dismissed, try to get the best possible experience out of your first day.” 

The crowd of first years scattered, some looking for the on call room to grab their uniforms, some headed first to the conference room, some on their way to the bathroom to vomit out their nerves. Nagisa, however, stayed put. He inhaled deeply and used this brief, peaceful moment to take in his surroundings. After all those years of training, both in a classroom and in a lab, he had finally become Dr. Hazuki. At least, he would be if he “got his rear in gear.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I intend to go a bit deeper into the medical jargon next chapter, which means hella research. I'll post it next week, if not earlier.
> 
> PS im sorry for the really bad Rei pun.


	4. Warrior

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Makoto takes on a new patient on his first day "off the bottom of the food chain"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The next few chapters are going to establish what kind of doctors the boys are. Just something I thought was vital to the story
> 
> I did a bit of research for this chapter, but if you read something you think is wrong, I'm open to feedback. Keep an eye out for my warnings ~~ those squigglies right there. There's a paragraph where I describe a wound in pretty specific detail, but you can skip over it if you get squeamish. Enjoy!

Makoto sat quietly in the corner of the pediatrics conference room, munching carefully on a famous Iwatobi Pastries cream bread. His eyes were fixed on the clock as he waited for his shift to begin. 

The moment the second hand hit the 12, it was almost as if Makoto’s leftovers had made their way into the refrigerator themselves. He was up and off to his first patient of the day. 

Makoto never went into a patient’s room without a plan. As he skidded down the brightly coloured hallways of the ward, he glanced over the medical file of 5 year old Takeo Iwasaki. He was starting out his second year on a gastroenterology service, and young Takeo had recently moved to the Miyagi prefecture from the countryside to receive better treatment for his aggressive case of Crohn’s disease*. His favorite color was red, he loved pokemon, and he’d had a feeding tube in this stomach for a month now. Makoto knew all of this through one simple glance at his brief medical history. Takeo had been sent up to impatient from the ER with an infected feeding tube. He had a low grade fever, but besides that, symptoms were limited. Makoto mentally formed his agenda for his visit with the young boy, stopping briefly outside the door to his room to gather his thoughts. As soon as he was composed, he burst through the door with that characteristic smile on his face. 

“Good morning Takeo. Ms Iwasaki.” 

Makoto always liked to begin by addressing his patients by name. 

Step 2 was introduction.  
“I’m Dr. Tachibana, and I’m going to be one of the doctors taking care of you while you’re with us in the hospital.” 

Step 3: establish the patient’s level of comfort. 

“How are you feeling right now Takeo?” 

“Icky.”

That was a common reply from kids of that age. Makoto much preferred “yucky” but you take what you can get. 

Step 4: Acknowledge them

“I’m very sorry to hear that.”

Takeo shrugged. 

“I’m used to it.”

Now, it was Mom’s turn to jump in. 

“He’s been poorly a lot lately, I don’t know if it relates to the Crohn's or if he may be coming down with something else.” 

It was perfect timing for step 5, engaging the parents. 

“How long’s this gone on for?”

He combined step 5 with the important question of timing. 

“Since he had his tube placed.”

An alarm went off in Makoto’s head. A poor reaction to a g-tube** was never a good thing. He made a mental note to keep an eye on that, and of course, report it to his seniors. 

“But we didn’t notice any infection until this morning,” Ms Iwasaki quickly noted.

Makoto eased up a bit. He always enjoyed working with proactive parents, it made his job a bit easier. 

He proceeded to his next step: Getting down to the patient’s level. As he nodded, acknowledging Ms Iwasaki’s comment, he approached the left side of Takeo’s bed, where he crouched down and parked his bottom on a rolling stool. He leaned forward a bit to be at the boy’s eye level.

“Kudos to you for coming in right away,” Makoto declared, once again flashing a friendly smile. 

Takeo interjected at this point. 

“Mama always takes me to the doctor right away now. One time when I was a baby she waited and I almost died!”

Makoto engaged the boy, as he was taught. 

“Oh no! We can’t have that, can we?” He said playfully. “But I’m sure mom didn’t know if you had something that needed a doctor at the time. Am I right?”

His eyes transferred to match Ms Iwasaki’s. 

“That’s when he was diagnosed. I thought he was just constipated…” 

“Don’t worry about it,” Makoto assured her, “Crohn’s is hard to catch in babies. Usually doesn’t show until around puberty.”

Ms Iwasaki let out a brief sigh. 

Makoto propelled his stool towards the corner of the room, where the latex gloves sat perched on a shelf attached to the wall. As usual, the size large box was filled to the top. Nobody else in the department had monster hands like he did. He pulled out a pair and began to propel back over to Takeo’s bedside as he pulled them on. He had become quite skilled in multitasking over the years. The next step was to ask for permission before a physical exam. More often than not kids complied, or just didn’t say anything at all. If they said no, it was a pain, but Makoto had a few tricks up his sleeve. 

“Takeo, is it ok if I take a look at your tummy?” 

Takeo nodded shyly. Thank god. 

As Makoto arrived back at the bedside, he recalled his next step. He would attempt to engage the parents as much as he could in the physical exam. 

“Mom, could you roll up Takeo’s shirt for me?” 

Ms Iwasaki nodded, and knelt down to her son. She carefully folded his shirt back to reveal a sight Makoto was subconsciously hoping was exaggerated in the ER’s report. 

~~If you get squeamish skip this next part~~

About three centimeters parallel to Takeo’s belly button rested a bloodied piece of gauze interrupted by a small lump in the center. A thin plastic tube snaked out from underneath it, leading to a single port taped to the young boy’s side. The area around the gauze was bright red, a couple small skin lesions dotting its exterior. Makoto fumbled with the tubing in his thumb and forefinger. A clump of dried pus had wedged itself inside. He glanced up at Takeo’s face, observing for any signs of discomfort. The boy seemed to be content, but Makoto knew he should check. 

~~Ok you’re good now~~

“You’ll tell me if anything hurts, right?” he asked.

Takeo nodded. 

“I will.” 

Makoto’s next move would be to look closer at the insertion site, but first, he would have to remove the gauze covering it. Kids just loved it when you ripped bandages off of them. 

“Takeo, I’m going to need to take this bandage off so I can get a closer look. Do you want me to do it quickly or slowly?” 

“Fast. Like sonic fast.”

As usual Makoto was glad he was up to date with his pop culture references. In one swift motion, he plucked the gauze off, simultaneously singing the theme song from Sonic the Hedgehog. If Takeo was in any pain, he didn’t show it, as he was too busy laughing his head off at Makoto’s dreadful singing voice. 

As soon as Makoto finished his musical number (if you could even call it that), he noticed Ms Iwasaki turning pale as a ghost. 

“It wasn’t like that earlier.” she told him. “It wasn’t bleeding so much.” 

“It might just be that he’s nervous,” Makoto reassured her, “However, I can confirm that this is definitely infected.” 

Makoto reached for the cotton balls in the mason jar on the supply table next to him, and promptly wiped some of the blood pooling around the wound away. He noted a squeamish look on Takeo’s face as he applied pressure. So much for telling him when he felt pain. 

“Besides this nasty sore on your belly, is there anything else bothering you?” he inquired.

Takeo shook his head. Ms Iwasaki nudged her son lightly. 

“That’s a lie. He hasn’t had a normal bowel movement in days.” 

“Well it doesn’t hurt…” Takeo whined. 

Makoto stood up and nicked a cotton swab and petri dish of the the cabinet across the room. Amazingly, he continued the conversation. 

“When was his last colonoscopy***?”

He began to make his way back to the bed.

“About a month and a half ago.” 

Makoto contemplated his next move as he took his seat again. Should he suggest another colonoscopy, or check with his superiors first? There were no third years on his team, so that would mean going directly to the attending, who he had heard generally prefered not to be bothered. He was a second year now. He had to be more aggressive, less pensive with his decisions. 

“Well, for now we’ll culture the area and determine what kind of infection he’s got so we can treat that, but in addition, I think it’s wise to do another colonoscopy, just to be safe.”

There didn’t seem to be any pushback from his mother, however, Takeo was not having it. 

“I don’t want another one! It’s yucky and I don’t like it!” 

Makoto took this opportunity to recall his training. What was the best thing he could say to calm Takeo down? After a few moments of listening to the young boy’s whining, he came to a conclusion. 

“Takeo, do you know what your name means?”

He halted his complaints for a minute to answer 

“No.” 

Makoto scarcely remembered his high school command of language classes, but he knew enough useless facts to last him a lifetime.

“It means brave warrior.”

Ms. Iwasaki let out a little chuckle.

“I just opened to a random page in a baby name dictionary.”

Makoto smiled. 

“Well I think it suits you. I hear you moved all the way from the countryside to get help with your illness, started a new school and everything. That’s pretty brave.” 

Takeo rustled around in his bed. 

“I guess.” 

Makoto knew exactly where he was going to take the conversation. 

“Do you think it’s brave to skip out on something that could help you get better?”

Takeo fell silent. It took him a moment, but he solemnly shook his head. 

“Would a brave warrior get the colonoscopy?” 

Takeo nodded. 

“So whaddya say? Do we want to prove to Mom that was a good name for you?” 

Takeo glanced at his mother, and then back at Makoto, who was crossing his gloved fingers under the surface of the hospital bed. 

“Yeah.” 

Makoto breathed a sigh of relief. Thank GOD that had worked. He never liked using the “if then” technique**** they taught him in medical school. 

He quickly wedged another cotton ball in between the g-tube and Takeo’s skin before standing up and releasing his hands from the sweaty hand prison that was latex gloves. 

“Glad to hear it!” he exclaimed. 

The final step any good doctor would take during a patient evaluation was letting them know their plans for the day.

“A nurse will be in to clean you up in a minute, and then my boss will probably have a look at you. After that…”

Makoto caught another glimpse of the charizard on Takeo’s shirt, and he remembered a very important detail about this part of the hospital. 

“Hey, if Mom’s got Pokemon GO on her phone, I know for a fact a lot of charmanders like to hang around the play area on this floor” 

Makoto realized he was subtly admitting he was a grown man who still played pokemon, but he figured Ms. Iwasaki didn’t notice. He lowered his voice to a raspy whisper. 

“Don’t tell anyone, it has to be our secret.” 

A smile flashed over Takeo’s face as he glanced up at his mother for approval. 

“He’s already dragged me around the whole city looking for a pikachu, I’m sure I can tolerate a trip to the playroom.” 

“Great.” Makoto responded with a grin. He stood up and began to approach the door. “I’ll be off now, but I promise I’ll come back.” 

“Thank you Dr. Tachibanana!” exclaimed Takeo. Makoto was used to the common mispronunciation of his surname by now. “I’ll be a brave warrior for you!”

Makoto left the room with a wave, so flustered by his achievement with his patient that he completely forgot about the wound culture he knew Takeo needed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WOoo I used a lot of jargon here, didn't I? 
> 
> Here's a glossary for you. 
> 
> *Crohn’s Disease’ - A chronic inflammatory bowel disease that affects the lining of the digestive tract. Usually exhibits itself first in teens and preteens, but it’s not horribly uncommon to develope it earlier.
> 
> **G-Tube - a feeding tube, basically, surgically inserted into the stomach when a person cannot digest food normally
> 
> ***Colonoscopy - A diagnostic procedure where a flexible tube with a camera on the end is inserted up someone’s butt. The patient is under general anesthesia while this happens, but it definitely isn’t the most pleasant feeling when you wake up. 
> 
> ****If-Then Technique - I don’t know if this an actual thing but in this one medical documentary I watched one of the doctors kept using if-then statements when talking to patients. (If you don't take this medicine, then you will die, though I assume it would be less harsh for children). If any doctors read this and have an issue with me making this up on the spot let me know if there’s something I can replace it with because I literally did a tiny bit of research, I’m writing this for fun, not school.
> 
> Next chapter will be out soon!


	5. I only do simple interrupted

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Haru's methods as a second year are questioned

“I hear in medical school he once practiced sutures on himself.”

“As a first year he placed a central line in less than 5 minutes” 

“Yeah but his bedside manner is shit.”

“And he has a girl’s name” 

The thing about working in a crowded ER was that wherever you go, you could overhear at least 12 different conversations at once. Patients outside of the trauma bay were only separated from the front hall and waiting area by a thin paper curtain. For most of the Emergency medicine residents, it was a nuisance. It took time, concentration, and a certain kind of zen very few of them possessed to get used to providing quality care amongst so many distractions. 

Haru however, had been able to tone out sounds around him since he was a little kid. He had become accustomed to focusing 100 percent of his energy on the task at hand, something many of his fellow residents were jealous of. Because of this odd power of his, Haru was generally regarded as some kind of supernatural being within the walls of the Iwatobi General Hospital emergency department. This lead to a variety of rumors being spread about him between the staff. He rarely noticed them, unless they were directly brought to his attention. He only caught some brief jabber from the new residents behind the cell curtain as he worked with his patients.

Despite the fact that he would much rather have been in the trauma bay with a non verbal car crash victim that had been brought in before his shift, as of now, he was stuck failing to make small talk with a middle aged woman while he stitched a gaping wound on her forehead. The woman’s eyes had been steadily fixed on Haru’s pectoral muscles for a good few minutes. Haru wasn’t quite sure if she was in need of another head trauma evaluation, or if she was simply a cougar. 

“Dr. Nanase, was it?” The woman asked, a hint of seduction in her voice. 

Haru only grunted in response. 

“Ooh! Didn't have your coffee this morning?” 

“I don't drink coffee.” Haru responded as he lifted his scissors to cut his perfect suture. 

SNIP

The leftover silk thread separated from the rest of the suture as Haru swiftly shifted his hand upwards, beginning his arc to start the next suture. As he was about to break the skin, he caught a piece of excess thread in his forceps, he snipped it and watched it fall on to the woman in front of him. She plucked it off herself. 

“Wouldn't it be easier and quicker if you didn't cut each stitch every time?” 

Haru stopped dead in his tracks. He had the fasted suturing times out of all the residents. He thought it was hardly appropriate for some lonely wench without even the slightest background in medicine to be critiquing him in his technique. The woman read this thought and immediately made an excuse for herself. 

“I sew and knit a lot at home, and at least for clothing, chopping off every stitch is just a nuisance.” 

“It doesn't work like this with skin,” Haru stated bluntly. He resumed his movements, attempting to focus on the repetitive circular motions of the needle in his forceps. 

One swift movement down into the subcutaneous layer, one upward motion through the wound and into the the other side of the skin.

Most residents still passed through the middle of the wound instead of going directly to the skin flap parallel to the insertion site, but Haru found holding the flaps together with tweezers lead to a fast, more efficient suture. It was that swift, semicircular motion through both flaps of skin at once that Haru enjoyed so much. The repetitiveness of it all overwhelmed him with such a calm feeling, and to top it off he would snip the ends of each suture in a perfect six/eight waltzing rhythm 

Down, up, tie

tie, tie, snip 

This rhythm was what enabled Haru to suture so efficiently. It made him feel as though the forceps and tweezers were just an extension of his appendages and the rhythm of their movement coincided with his normal bodily processes. 

“Ouch!” the woman called out from under Haru. 

Haru let his rhythm halt as he observed the woman’s face for signs of discomfort. The call of pain should have been enough, but he wanted to be sure she wasn't just groping aimlessly for his attention. Sure enough, she was smiling away.

“Is that what it takes to converse with you? My misery?” she inquired.

Haru sighed. “Just let me know if you feel any real pain, ok?” 

The woman went on talking “I’m just saying, my nephew came to the emergency room about a month ago he hit it off with his doctor immediately! I came to visit and the two were taking up a storm! Course, it was a woman, so maybe this is just the case with male doctors.” 

Haru didn't think he needed to point out the sheer inaccuracy of that statement. He couldn't imagine any sane person saying something like that for any reason besides to get a reaction. He continued his handiwork, and attempted to talk at the same time to appease the woman. He’d been called out for his poor bedside manner before, and he wanted to do everything he could to improve. It's not that Haru was mean, or nasty to his patients, he just wasn't super empathetic. It was something he was working on, but couldn't quite get. 

“So… Uh, how old is your nephew?” Haru asked as he tied off a suture.

“Your age, probably, what are you, 25?” 

“Twenty eight.” Haru mumbled.

“What a young spring chicken!” The woman exclaimed. “Are we sure it's wise to let you near my face?” 

“Yes. I’m qualified.” Haru responded, about to tie off the final stitch. 

“I was joking sweetheart,” she responded. 

Haru hadn't quite gotten the hang of jokes yet. That was why he preferred going places with Makoto, where he would have someone to interpret social cues for him. He made an attempt at smiling as he placed his tools back down in the side table, but he wound up just looking the the joker, and the sharp tools he was putting aside didn't much help his case. 

As he was preparing to tape a piece of gauze to the woman’s face and then get the hell out of there, the curtain swooped open and Haru’s senior resident, Dr Kanako burst in. 

“Haruka!”

Haru rolled his eyes. He hated his full name. 

“Is this your boss?” the woman inquired. 

“Indeed!” The tall, lanky doctor walked towards the hospital them, admiring Haru’s handywork as he passed it by. 

“This young man’s not causing you any trouble, is he?” 

One of the torturous things about working outside of the trauma bay was Haru’s seniors could waltz in and out of cubicles whenever they pleased, and comment on his technique and ridicule his bedside manner. 

The woman shook her head. “He could be a bit quicker about his though.” She gestured to the newly stitched wound on her forehead. 

Dr. Kanako glanced at Haru, who stood with his arms crossed adjacent to him. 

“Did you do a full history?” he asked.

“She hit her head on a coffee table.” 

“And the wound was too deep for continuous sutures?” 

Haru looked at his feet. His white converse almost blended completely in with the marble floor. It looked almost as if his legs just stopped at his ankles. 

“Nanase-kun?” 

Haru knew the formal address was purely from ridicule. He had told his seniors the importance of his uniform suturing techniques hundreds of times before, so Dr. Kanako knew full well what his response would be. 

“C’mon now, say those five words everyone in the department has to hear blaring from that otherwise quiet mouth of yours every bleeding day.” 

“I only stitch simple interrupted.” 

Haru pushed the paper curtain aside and left the cubicle with a huff.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ok next chapter the plot actually advances, I just wanted to establish each of the characters first. I'll hopefully post it next week


End file.
